The Storks Came Early

More than 100 white storks are currently hanging out in Luxembourg. That might not sound remarkable until you learn that a typical year sees far fewer, and they usually arrive about two weeks later than this. Nature photographer Bob Bertemes, who has been tracking the sightings, says reports have come in from all over the country since the first birds were spotted in Pommerloch.[1]

The reason they are here early is the same reason the Cattenom nuclear plant had to shut down a reactor: the ground is too dry. Storks feed on worms, mice, and frogs in wet meadows. When the soil bakes hard, worms burrow deeper. Frogs vanish as ponds dry out. With less food available in their usual summer habitats, the storks started moving south ahead of schedule.[2]

Monday evening's thunderstorms may have contributed to the stopover. Storks prefer not to fly in heavy rain or thunderstorms, so when the weather turned, they landed. They are also drawn to freshly worked farm fields, where tractors expose food sources in the turned soil. If the foraging is good, they might stay for days or even weeks before continuing south.

What makes this year unusual is not just the numbers or the timing. It is the growing pattern of storks shortening their migration altogether. Historically, every white stork spent winter in Africa. Now, some barely migrate at all. Bertemes says it is no longer unusual to see a white stork in Luxembourg in winter. Some fly only as far as southern France. Others stay put if the weather stays mild.[3]

This is what climate adaptation looks like when you are a bird. You do not hold a sign or write a policy paper. You just stop going as far, because the food is closer and the cold is not as cold. The storks are reading the climate from the ground, and what they are reading tells them Luxembourg is habitable in months when it used to be hostile.

For now, the storks are welcome. Farmers report little to no damage, since the birds eat small creatures in meadows and fields rather than crops. The main complaint in communities where storks nest on rooftops is the noise, their characteristic bill-clattering, and the size of the nests. But as Bertemes puts it, that is a small price for the joy they bring. Storks are a symbol of good luck, and people are genuinely happy to see them.[4]

One hundred storks in Luxembourg is a nice headline. The story underneath it is that the map is shifting. The rivers are lower, the soil is drier, the winters are warmer, and the birds are rearranging their lives around it. They came early because they had to. Some may not leave at all.